How to: Make Sure Your New Home is Secure

Posted on 22nd October 2018 at 15:25

It's National Home Security Awareness Month, here are some top tips for just that:

October is the begining of Autumn and it is also the month of Home Security Awareness. Being burgled is a scary thought. No one likes the idea of a sneaky, balaclava-wearing fiend carrying your TV out through the front door. The sad reality is that it does happen. Albeit, pretty rarely.

Here are some ways to make your new home as secure as possible.

Check the Locks

Whilst making sure your locks are working and are secure may seem like an obvious and unnecessary task, it’s worth remembering that 33% of break-ins happen via the front door.

You are advised to make sure the door is not hollow; the hinges are secure and protected (cannot be unscrewed) and that the mail slot is not large enough for anyone to fit their arm through and unlock the door. You should also remember that while it is a nice focal point, don’t sacrifice security in order to have a nice-looking door!

As for windows; the latches that are usually pre-built into the windows are often flimsy and not entirely reliable. Your best bet is to replace them with key-operated locks.

Cat-flaps should also be locked when appropriate.

Invest in a Security System

In the early days of civilisation, we had cans tied to a string which would result in a loud noise if an intruder busted through the door. We also built moats, but you might not have time for that. Now, thankfully, we are a little more advanced.

The most popular security system is usually a set-up where a very loud alarm will sound when someone enters the property and can only be switched off when entering a user-specific code. Nowadays we don’t even let the burglars get that far. Recent innovations include biometrics. This can be anything from fingerprint scanners, retina scanners, voice recognition systems, video calling doorbells, and keyless entry.

Don’t be afraid to get yourself immersed in a bit of social interaction! The end goal is of course to recruit the first line of defence for your home. Getting to know your neighbours is a great idea for when you are going on holiday and need someone to keep an eye on the house or to let you know if anything out-of-the-ordinary is going on down your road.

They may also feed your cat while you are away or lend you some sugar. That’s when good neighbours, become good friends...

Get a Big Brother

Not literally. But a CCTV setup isn’t a bad idea. These days you can pick up these systems quite cheap and can easily link the footage back to your phone to keep an eye on your home while you are out.

As we get more advanced we’ve seen motion sensors and heat sensors hit the consumer market with you being able to make your home harder to breach than Area 51 (where aliens definitely live).

Perform a Mock Burglary

The important thing to remember is: Don’t Frighten the Children.

You don’t need to channel Forest Whitaker in “Panic Room” to check if your home is burglar proof. The idea is to mosey around your property, either on your own or with a friend, and try to point out anything that is not secure.

Things to check for:

- Can you see inside through the curtains or blinds?

- Are there any windows open that are easily accessible from the outside?

- Are there any valuables that are not secure or guarded?

You can also enter through one or more of the potential entry points into your home and see which valuables are on display. Burglars won’t spend an awful lot of time picking and choosing what to steal, they’ll take the most expensive things they can see, as quickly as possible.

Know Your Emergency Contacts

Something else you can do to be prepared is to have a list of emergency contacts in a designated place in your home. That way, if something should happen, you waste no time in reporting it or getting something fixed. E.g. Police, Locksmiths, Window Fitters etc.

Luckily, burglaries are a rare occurrence, and by following these tips it’ll be even more unlikely that your castle will become compromised.

If you don’t follow these steps; this could be you returning home from work: